If That's What It Takes
by ThickerThanLove
Summary: An AU story starting in the aftermath of "Before the Dawn" Nightwing is aware that their position within the Light has been compromised. That means that Artemis is in potential danger, her life not as safe as it had been with an ally by her side. Batman may have continued regardless. But Nightwing is NOT Batman. And he made a promise to Wally; he means to keep it. **UPDATED**
1. Prologue: I Will Risk Everything

**If That's What It Takes**

_This is my first AU story, taking place at the end of "Before the Dawn." Unlike a lot of fans, who seem to think Dick and Wally's friendship is dying, I saw their fight in "Darkest" more as just that: a fight. Something that only the best of friends will survive. Yet, it did trigger something in Dick. So Nightwing takes it upon himself to fix what he has done, in the only way he can think of. He _is_ Wally's best friend after all. Young Justice characters are not mine and are used without permission but simply for the enjoyment of fans. Please R&R! Some events in this story are taken from elements of the Flash Comics arc "The Black Racer"_

**_Prologue: I Will Risk Everything_**

Walking alongside the smoky, still blackened beach, Dick Grayson stuck his hands as deep into his pockets as he could. It was not often he emerged in his civilian form, especially lately. It was risky. He was reluctant to let Tim do it at all, that was the Bat in him and his paranoia coming out full force. He supposed he had a right to be paranoid though. Everyone could state they had a right to be paranoid now, with the alien invasion running full force. He had more reasons than most, as much of the alien invasion would have killed to have his head on a stick. He was the leader of the problem team that kept causing them delays after all.

He really didn't feel like much of a leader right now though. Truthfully, the attack on Mount Justice had been necessary but now, as he walked along where he and his closest friends had laughed and thrown sand at each other, convinced Conner to first try surfing, helped M'gann hunt for sea shells and explaining to her why some of the creatures had hard bodies and some didn't, he felt his heart tighten more with each step. Very little sand remained, much of it had been blown away or turned into sharp unfriendly pieces of glass. If he looked close enough though, he could convince his imagination to remember what it had been once.

His only comfort right now was that all their captives had been rescued. It eased his heart. He had always been very careful to never let anything happen to his teammates. He may have moved them to where he needed them, manipulated to make sure the mission was fulfilled but all his plans had been developed with every intention of keeping his team safe. Getting caught in the debris when Mount Justice was destroyed had nearly killed him when he realized how damn lucky they HAD been.

Wally had not helped when he reminded him.

Dick really couldn't blame his old friend though. If their circumstances had been reversed, he would have been angry too. Plus, though Wally had not said it, Dick had caught the way he had looked him up and down quickly, making sure he was unharmed. He had seen the way the fear broke through his eyes occasionally. Wally was worried about Artemis but he was also worried about him, about the others. Wally had never really been the type to say if he was scared or frightened. He felt the need to be Mister Macho man, maybe now more than ever.

Dick knew more than anyone else, except maybe Artemis, that if Wally could have been out on the field, he would have been. Wally loved to help people, he had not lost that. His retirement from the hero life had not been by choice, it had been necessary. Artemis had retired because she did not see it as fair that Wally had to hang up to the costume just to see her rush off to fight every night. It would drive him nuts to know he couldn't be there to help her, to protect her, though she was not shy about reminding him that she needed no such protection.

The way Wally had leapt back into the suit when his Uncle was in danger was proof enough that the desire still flooded his veins. Unbeknownst to most people, Dick had been the one to ask Wally to step down. When they found out that his body chemistry was so unstable and that all the times he used his speed, he was just pushing himself close to—he couldn't bear the thought of losing his best friend, his brother of brothers. Not when it could be prevented, even if it was horrible to Wally's spirit.

Dick shook his head. Wally had initially been reluctant, he had stated "Who's gonna watch your back without me?"

Dick really wished he knew the answer to that question because lately he could have really used it. He really cursed whoever had thrown that illness into Wally's powers. It was not fair! Wally had always been one to put everyone else put before himself. He thrived on protecting others. He had used his speed to help others. After the battle where he had saved Queen Perdita, he had really thrown himself into helping others. Dick thought Wally had finally realized what he was truly capable of doing. Wally's self-esteem had never been the greatest but that mission had really told him what he was capable of.

Then after two years, Wally started getting sick. Horrible seizures where his muscles would tense and vibrate, then his blood pressure would cut through the roof. The fifth attack that came during a mission, Wally's heart had stopped.

That was when Dick begged him to step down, at least until they figured out a cure for it. Three long years had passed and Wally had seemed to accept his fate to be a civilian. It had killed his joyful spirit though. He had kept his studious side, his serious side that only Dick used to see. But now, that joyful, playfulness had vanished. Barry had commented on it and Wally had responded with: "Would you expect a paralyzed marathoner to be happy?" Barry had not had a good response to that; the speedsters' ability dictated every second of their lives.

It controlled their sense of time, their ability to even perform everyday tasks. He and Wally didn't interact much not because of a lack of wanting to but because Barry's speed still illuminated everything he did and he did not want to remind Wally of what he had lost. Wally appreciated that. So, the two instead tended to run up massive phone bills. Yet it was not the same. Wally had commented to Dick once that as 'babyish as it sounded' he wanted his uncle to hug him again. He wanted to run with his uncle across America again, stopping at all the major diners. He wanted to race him down the Grand Canyon as he had 'never gotten that rematch race.' He wanted to do all these things he had planned, all these years he had spent training himself to be faster, so he could keep up with his uncle, so one day he could grin at him and tear past him, laughing about him being 'slow in his old age.' So he could be ready to take over his mantle when his uncle felt the time was right. He had even asked his uncle if they had chemistry labs in the Watchtower so he could utilize the science skills as a superhero. Every ounce of his future, every speck was wrapped around him being a hero. He loved it. He wanted to do it. He looked forward to telling his children about how he and Artemis made every effort to help as many people as they could.

And now, with that illness, he was a prisoner in his own body and slowly, ever so slowly, it was killing his soul.

The three years after Wally's diagnosis were spent with him learning to slow down again and he was not shy about telling Dick about how torturous it had become. How he watched his life crawl by at a snail's pace and was unable to utilize the power that flowed through his veins to do something about it.

School became Wally's escape. His ability to think had not been altered and he had always had a scientific genius for a mind. He was majoring in physics and chemistry, a double major. He drowned himself in work and with Artemis. Dick still came to see him but was careful to never show up as Nightwing. He didn't need to remind Wally of the team, of the superhero life.

Though not physically, Wally was in a sense paralyzed, unable to use the trait that had been one of his great attributes before he even got his speed. Artemis managed to get him to crack a smile now and again and she got his eyes to light up. Dick could on occasion. With the alien invasion though, not so much. Wally wanted to help and he had been trying in all the ways he knew how: Dick would send him information they got on the aliens and Wally would try and figure out the chemical components of their weapons, their physiology.

It was not what he wanted to do though. Dick could see it. The way he would have to restrain himself from running into the battles, the way he would wince momentarily whenever someone mentioned he had given up the hero life. The contempt he got from some of the others who wordlessly called him a coward. Dick had respected his friend's wishes and not told the others about his illness. Only a choice few knew, even out of the Justice League: Batman, Flash, Black Canary, and Captain Atom from the Justice League and himself, Aqualad and Artemis from their old team.

So his arguments the day or so ago after the loss of the mountain really made a lot of sense. Wally was worried about Artemis, understandably, but he also worried about him, his best friend. He was worried about the danger both of them were in. The brain did not do well under that kind of stress. To add on top of it, Wally was unable to enter himself, to protect them. When they were younger, Dick used to tease Wally about being his bodyguard, a fact that Wally did not deny, simply said "Someone has to watch your back, you crazy Bat."

Dick had not realized until now, when all these things were coming together, how much he had depended on that. He and Wally had been a team within a team, a twosome that played off one another without words and without prompting. Wally had told him once that a best pal was for questioning your objectivity. Dick had not had that for a few years and its effects were really beginning to show. He liked to think of himself as well trained enough that nothing could falter him, that he could remain focused no matter what the situation. However, the failing state of their resistance against the Invasion was making it very clear that he was suffering without his red-headed moral compass.

Now, to add to the mess, he found himself repeating what he had told Wally at the Hall of Justice not too long ago, once he had raised questions about Kaldur's loyalty:

"I made you a promise, right, Wally?"

He had, when he had asked Artemis to come back into the fight. He knew that such an action would tear his friend apart. That was something he had been hoping to avoid but Fate had other plans. He had not blamed Wally for his anger, his frustration, and his fear. After Artemis had accepted, he had taken Wally aside when he had told him of putting their plan into action and made him a solemn oath, saying,

_Wally, there isn't much I can control in this plan once it takes shape, I know we talked about that…but I can make you this promise: I'll keep Artemis safe, no matter what._

Wally had given him a skeptical look, crossed his arms tightly over his chest, and his words had been tainted with poison when he accused his friend of lying straight to his face. Dick supposed his doubt was deserved and rightly so, and his oldest friend's face had remained cold, hard, until Dick had taken off his mask, looked at him with his dark blue eyes and added,

_ On the memory of Jonathan and Mary Grayson, I will make sure Artemis will come back to you._

Hence the reason he was here now. He stood silently, overlooking the dark forbidding ocean. The rescue of their captives had made one thing clear: something had compromised Kaldur. Beast Boy had babbled about M'gann taking care of him and the way he had described Kaldur…

Dick wasn't an idiot. Whatever it was that M'gann had done had rendered their inside source unreliable and Artemis…Tigress was such a new face that there was more of a chance than ever of her being deemed expendable or untrustworthy. Dick squeezed his eyes shut as the plan he and the others had tried to put so much thought into seemed to be coming apart at the seams. There was so much more at risk now and for what? For something that might not even work.

Stepping into a grove of rocks, he stepped into a small pool, a tidal pool that he and his teammates used to explore and laugh in. It was deep, with dips and turns. He stepped onto familiar rocks, up to his knees before taking a deep breath and plunging into the deeper waters. He opened his eyes instantly, internally wincing as the salt irritated them before he pressed down. He found the old hatch easily. The mountain had been blown but only a choice few knew of the small hangar located further below. Moving the old entryway was hard; it had not been used in years. But he managed it and dropped onto dry concrete before getting to his feet. It was a small room, made of steel and concrete and only about the size of an elevator. Water poured in, already up to his ankles as he sighted the small door on the steel and made that his destination.

He went to the second doorway and entered it quickly as the ocean water was following him just as quickly. This was meant as an emergency stash after all so therefore, the entrances and exits were hardly easy and glamorous. Slipping through, he closed the air hatch and watched it fill with water slowly and depressurize. Pushing a few buttons on the wall, the hatch slid back over the entrance he had used and the room began to drain. Taking a breath, having to get used to the murky smell, he walked on, pushing his wet hairs out of his face.

Batman had told him about this small section when he had asked him about some inconsistencies he had found in the blueprints. He had reported he had discovered the area was small but more than enough for some type of weapon. Rather than have him explore it on his own and possibly give away something, Bruce had taken him down here: their old hangar. There really wasn't much left, having been unneeded for so long, especially after the creation of the Watchtower but one plane, one all-terrain vehicle and one small submarine remained.

It was to the submarine that Nightwing went. A quick look over told him that it was still useable, if a bit slow. It was prepared for deep depths, outfitted with better than the finest military supplies; there was some type of alien or mystical metals in the thing. The controls were sound, it was water-ready, not that such a thing surprised him. He assumed Batman had been keeping up maintenance on these things, in case they were ever needed. That was just how that man was and he was never more grateful for it.

As he slipped into the old machine, he checked it for supplies, grateful to find some wet suits, oxygen and a few extra weapons. It was sufficient.

He supposed that batman would have frowned on this. After all, so much was at stake in the plan succeeding that he may have deemed that the risk to Tigress…Artemis…to be worthy of the ends. Batman was not heartless but he was strategic first and foremost. It made him dangerous and a master tactician. He would have pulled out all the stops to make sure the plan still succeeded, even if it involved more risks, more uncertainties and chances.

Nightwing pushed a few commands and felt the strange jolt as the sub slipped into the waters of the bay undetected. He narrowed his eyes out of the viewport, before inputting the last known coordinates of the enemy's location into his navigation equipment. Taking a breath to steady his nerves, he fired the engines and the sub made its way out into the deep unknown waters.

He was not Batman.

He had made a promise to his dearest friend, his brother.

He meant to keep it.


	2. Chapter 1: Following Breadcrumbs

**_Chapter One: Following Breadcrumbs_**

Wind whipping into his face was quick but not nearly as fast as Wally would have liked. Truth be told, motorcycles were slow but it gave him just a wee bit of a rush, a rush similar to how he used to feel, running full speed down the road. The bumps against the wheels did not feel the same as asphalt vanishing under lightning fast boots but it was closer than he usually felt. It made him feel a faint brush of euphoria but he quickly squashed it. He could not focus on that, not right now. He got distracted easily this way.

No, with the destruction of Mount Justice and the recent rescue of the former hostages, Wally's senses were tingling. He was well aware that sounded like something out of a comic book movie but there really was not a better term for it. He had been keeping tabs on the Team's progress, with Nightwing's help, and was trying to identify the possible weaknesses of the invaders. He was closer but now, with the hostages back, they had some information on the Light's partner. Nightwing had told him late last night what he could but Wally had caught it: the hesitation in his voice. There was something else going on. It both worried and infuriated Wally at the same time. Dick was his best friend, wasn't he supposed to tell him everything?  
Though, to be fair, Wally supposed he had not remained the best of friends in recent years. It was hardly out of malice. Dick was trying to be considerate and Wally was trying to maintain his sanity. Artemis helped; when she gave up the superhero life, she pushed him in ordinary life, life as a civilian and it helped. Oh, God did it help. She kept him distracted from the dangers Dick and the others were in. It was a temporary fix though and Wally supposed he knew that. He knew, deep in his bones, that something would pull her back to the hero life.

Which left him with no means to help.

He was close with his research on the invaders but that did not help his friends stay safe on the battlefield. He bit his lip. He had blown up at Dick about Artemis being in danger and Dick had remained cold, emotionless. Wally knew that was his way of coping, just like him exploding emotionally was his way of coping. One of the deals with being a best friend was that you often times were the emotional punching bag. Dick had served as his over the past few years. He had been there when Wally had broken down on the cave floor when he realized, after Dick's pushing, that he was more liability than aid on the field. Dick had been there when Wally and Artemis had endured their first big fight and she had stormed out and gone to her mother's. Dick had been there when he had to tell his parents about his choice of school study and his dad had blown up about what a waste of money it was doing a double-major. Dick had been there for him, just a few weeks ago when Impulse showed up and he had crumbled in his pathetic pile of self-pity.

Wally narrowed his eyes as he upped his speed on the cycle to far more than was legally permissible. He was still angry at Dick for sending Artemis into the ocean undercover but in the days since she had been gone, he had processed his reasoning. Dick really did have his hands tied for the most part. No one else could do what she could do. She was chosen not out of spite but BECAUSE she was so strong. It still tore him up, because he was helpless to do anything to aid her. Maybe he knew she could handle herself but that didn't stop his heart from wanting to protect her from everything he could.

Now that this battle had broken out and they edged ever closer to all-out war, he found himself engaging in more self-pity and self-hatred than his family found appropriate. He had thrown himself into seeking out the chemical weaknesses of the weapons, of the bases, of any information they had. His reasoning was if he could identify a specific weakness then he could utilize it and help end this war before it hurt anyone else. Fate had other plans though; the chemical intensity of the weapons and of the alien physiology in general was very complicated. It was a mess to weave through, even with his knowledge of chemicals and physics. He was closer but it was taking so long. So, he was stuck, on the sidelines while his girlfriend and friends were neck-deep.

Maybe none more than Dick though, he realized with a frown. It was so easy to just throw the blame on Dick for everything. Truth be told though, Artemis had accepted. She had accepted readily. Dick had not asked for this war. He had not asked for an invasion where secrets and lies had to be thrown about as readily as common conversation. Yet Dick was still in there, fighting. He moved his fighters to the best position, the places where they would do the most good, where they had the highest chance of survival. Yet, he always entered himself. He did not just stand back and let the others do the fighting, he was knee deep involved himself.

Wally closed his eyes tightly, for just a split second as he stopped at a stop light, saw no one coming either way and gunned through it.

After their spat at the Hall of Justice, Wally had noticed for the first time the bleeding gash on his friend's shoulder. He had continued to yell and scowl about how foolish and maybe how over-the-top the destruction of Mount Justice was, but he had done it while he stripped his friend's armor down and tended the wound. Dick had tried to reassure him and Wally had closed his ears to it. He had so much wanted to be mad at someone, anyone. He had unleashed his venom on his friend, not a whole lot of thought behind it. Dick, as always, had simply taken it stoically, as he always did. But now, with so much weight hanging in the air as well as time to consider and process without his emotions interfering, he found himself replaying Dick's words. Dick was trusting Kaldur, their friend. Wally had been so quick to screech about Kaldur being a triple-agent.

How had that thought even occurred to him?

Kaldur was nothing if not loyal. He and Dick and Roy and Kaldur had been closely linked since their starts, as sidekicks. They had grown up together. When they were beginning to be trained for the more serious battles, they trained together for learning different enemies' attacks. Their mentors had introduced them, though Batman had been initially reluctant, and they had clinked together like puzzle pieces. Their years as a team had only cemented that fact. Yet, Wally had been so quick to abandon that memory, in a fit of anger. Truth be told, he felt like utter trash for having let his emotions, even such a powerful emotion as fear, manipulate him that much. Now that he could think rationally, all he could reason was how loyal all of his friends had been, especially those he had known for so long.

Kaldur had not faltered, even when they had all seemingly turned against him for keeping secrets about the mole…again, with the whole secrets thing.

He would not have doubted Roy; they had forgiven him when he had been found out to be the mole.

His belief in Dick never wavered, even now, when he thought he was in way over his head and falling too much into his stoic mode, he still trusted him. He trusted him with his life, with his girl's life, with the team's life. He knew that Dick would pull out all the stops to prevent any death from touching that team. He had destroyed the mountain to avoid having to touch a team member. Granted, three of them had been taken but they had been returned, without much injury at that. Plus, Dick had told him several times when he had patched that shoulder that as much as he may have had to adopt some of his mentor's tactics, that he would make sure all his comrades came home in one piece. It was one thing he had taken from that damned simulation years back: he refused to let anyone die like he had in that simulation.

Now, the three captives were back and as Dick promised, alive and in one piece.

_On the memory of Jonathan and Mary Grayson, I will make sure Artemis will come back to you._

Wally winced, as Dick's promise rang through his head again. Dick had sworn that to him, as corny as it sounded, when he pulled Artemis into the battle. Dick had been sincere, no mask. When Wally had confessed his fears about Artemis being with Kaldur and so close to the enemy, Dick had stood, silently and stood right next to him. He had met Wally's eyes and told him again, "I made you a promise, didn't I, Wally?"

Dick had never been one to break a promise and neither had Wally. They had made a promise to look out for one another when they became sidekicks, joking about being a different kind of 'dynamic duo' when they grew up. Even with the addition of the team, they maintained their strong link, their ability to understand one another, to read one another, to anticipate one another.

Perhaps that was why Wally was unnerved. Nightwing may have come across to any other person as stoic and impossible to read, Wally had known him for years, he could see and read him inside out. He had seen the doubts when they had spoken at the Hall. He had seen the self-loathing. When they had returned with the rescued hostages, he had seen that dark look when he had turned Impulse back over to his uncle and aunt, then to Jay and Joan. He had seen a plotting, a fear, and knowledge. It was something Dick only got when something went awry, when he felt something had to be done.

Something had happened, something important on that mission. He doubted even Dick knew entirely what had happened but something had gone awry. It had to be important for Dick to be as distracted as he was when they had brought the hostages back. He had not spoken much, simply walked off, and talked with Aquaman and Captain Atom. He had not commented to the hostages, not commented to the team, nothing. Dick had something planned and he knew it had to do with what happened on that rescue mission.

The rescue mission he had been unable to aid with. His own cousin, though annoying, had been in danger and he had been helpless to aid. Now, something had happened and it was unnerving him.

Dick had not been in his apartment at Bludhaven. That had been the very first place Wally had tried. When Dick had not answered, Wally had let himself in; he was one of the few who had a key to the place besides Dick. He had found nothing. The place had no signs that the mini-ninja had been there. There were no clues, no messages, no nothing. Dick's computer was shut down, sealed with a passcode. Wally had tried every pass word he could think of, including all of Dick's former girlfriends (and that was no easy task to recall) but nothing had worked. Dick took extra precautions with that computer.

Which made the fact he did not take it with him, to wherever he went, even more disturbing.

Turning down a familiar cross street, Wally stopped his bike in front of his aunt and uncle's house. Taking off his helmet, he set it on the handlebars and parked his bike to the right of his uncle's car. All the house lights were off, no surprise given the late hour and he saw that Jay and Joan's car was still parked in the driveway. They must have decided to stay when they had all brought Impulse back after the mission. Wally's eyes softened somewhat. Lucky duck, after a bad mission or kidnapping, Uncle Barry was the most awesome person to be around. He remembered those nights so well: snacks, movies, and if you were injured in any way, shape or form, Uncle Barry gave great muscle massages. Seriously. It might have seemed feminine but those were easily Wally's favorite part of being sick or injured. His Uncle Barry always vibrated his hands and because of that, they would heat up. Imagine that rubbing on stiff, sore muscles. Impulse was probably out cold by now and if he wasn't, then that kid was officially an alien.

Taking out his collection of keys, he found the one marked with a Flash keychain and turned that into the lock. Before opening the door though, he turned to the keypad next to the door and typed in the alarm code: 11-16, his aunt and uncle's wedding date. When the alarm clicked to off, he turned the key and pushed the door inward, stepping into the dark foyer. Closing the door behind him, he relocked it and pocketed his keys. He paused a moment and took off his shoes, by habit and left them by the door. His aunt would have his head if he walked through her house in dirty shoes. He turned toward the stairs and headed up, as quietly as he could. The stairs, thankfully, did not creak underneath him.

He made his way to the left, passing his aunt and uncle's bedroom door. It was cracked open slightly and he saw his aunt moan lightly as she turned over. He paused, mid step, holding his breath. Thankfully, she just took a moment to reposition herself and continued to sleep. Her husband, his Uncle Barry, was turned the other way, sleeping but occasionally muttering about 'duck l'orange.' Wally let a smile pass his lips. If his uncle was talking in his sleep, he was out cold. He continued on his quest, spying Jay and Joan asleep in the guest bedroom, both of them still.

He paused a moment at the third door down. He pushed it open, slowly. It was empty but the bed was still made, the Flash posters still present. This used to be his room when he came to visit. He surely thought his aunt and uncle would have moved their grandson into it but no. They had kept it the same. It made a small spark of pride grow in his heart. He had not been here for a few months. He felt an overwhelming desire to simply flop down on the bed and sleep. His aunt or uncle would find him in the morning; cover him up and save a plate for him. It had been so long and there was so much stress lately…

Shaking his head, he reminded himself why he was here.

Impulse had been at the station when that huge battle broke out. He knew what had happened; he had to have some insight.

Walking by his old room, he closed the door and opened the next room, the second guest room. His aunt and uncle had three to four guest rooms because a lot of times the league members had to crash at various cities. But now, it had been redone to hold Impulse. He still regularly stayed with Jay and Joan but for the moment, he was enjoying the hospitality that Wally knew all too well that his uncle and aunt could provide. Pushing the door in slowly, the light drifted across the back of a brown haired boy who was sleeping on his right side. Wally wondered briefly if his coming cousin would be brown-haired or if that came from the boy's mother.

Truth be told, there was a lot about Impulse, Bart, that he didn't know that he'd like to. He was hardly one to lecture about keeping secrets though. He had a doozy of one, what with this secret undercover mission, although he was beginning to doubt whether they would be able to pull this off alone. Working with Dick and his teammates was one thing but well; it just felt weird to not tell his Uncle Barry everything. It had been something they had always done; Flashes were so open and honest with one another. Jay and Joan had no blood children of their own; they had pretty much "adopted" Uncle Barry as their own son though when his uncle was younger, much like his own aunt and uncle had taken him on more like a son than a nephew. It was that interconnectedness of the Flash family.

Keeping this, lying to his uncle and his aunt about Artemis, about the mission in general, was killing him. The additional stress that it was piling on him lately was not aiding him any. He wanted more than anything else to run to his Uncle, to his Aunt, ask for them to pull him, pull Dick, pull Artemis, pull Kaldur, pull them all out of this hellhole that the Invasion had created, to save them from this hellhole they were trying to crawl their way out of and not leave any innocents in the pit. When he was younger, he would have grinned at the prospect of doing this alone but now, he wished to the utmost degree that he could still run back to his mentor, tears of fear in his eyes and Flash would save him. Flash always saved him. Now, though, with this horrific reality, how could he do that? It was Dick, Kaldur, Artemis, and his problem now. They had agreed to the plan, they had agreed it was necessary, and that it would work but…it was the first time he remembered not being able to lean on his Flash Family…ever.

He hated it. It ate at his soul like a cancerous tumor.

Wally wondered briefly, by the way Bart had greeted all of them so enthusiastically, if he had that kind of support in his time. The boy's smile had been bright but Wally had seen the hidden longing and sadness in his eyes. It was something he had learned to read with having Richard Grayson, last of the Flying Graysons, for a brother. He had not been very cheerful in his greeting, though one could hardly blame him. He had been consumed by jealousy and envy, jealousy of the closeness he had achieved with Flash so quickly, envious of the speed the boy possessed that he had fought so hard to acquire and failed.

Now, though, as he entered the dark room, as silently as he could, he noted the way the boy slept: curled up, a protective stance, with his muscles tensed. He slept like he was waiting for an attack. Wally supposed that it could have been from the hostage situation; he remembered well enough being tensed and frightened after his first kidnapping when he was Kid Flash. The way the boy lay was different though, he acted like this was an every day thing. Didn't he have anyone to support him? To protect him?

Furrowing his brow, Wally approached his younger cousin and eyed him for a long moment.

"Couz, people'll think you're some kinda creepy pedo if you do that for too long." Came Bart's smart-ass tone.

Wally blinked, realizing Bart was more than just aware as the boy rolled over so he faced his cousin, sitting up with a cheeky grin. "Yer not quiet, couz and my trained ears hear all." He beamed. "'Sides, I can process stuff a lot faster than most people. It comes with the blood." He beamed again, prideful. There was no malice in his eyes but Wally felt his temper fluster all the same.

Rolling his eyes, Wally crossed his arms "Look, Bart, I'm not in the mood—"

"Yer never in the mood." He replied "Do you ever feel the mode? Yer about as fun as—"

"What happened on Black Manta's ship, Bart?" Wally interrupted, his patience wearing thin and the boy had only been talking to him for about a minute. He felt that jealousy rise up again at the boy's cheeky tone. Didn't he realize how much those damn comments hurt?

Bart eyed his cousin, frowning. He knew Wally was not overly fond of him but there was a different look in his eyes now. "Why're you so interested?" he inquired, a trace of seriousness in his voice "I thought you didn't do the superhero thing anymore…'cept when you decide to anyway" he grinned, referring to the all-Flash battle with Neutron. "I mean, you're all Mister-Scholarly now, right—"

"Can you not answer a simple question without being a smart-ass?" Wally inquired. "Whether I'm a hero anymore or not doesn't really matter-"

"Uh..duh, yeah it does." Bart insisted, locking eyes with his cousin. "Cause some of that's classified info, Couz."

"I'm still a member, just a retired one…look Bart, do you want to get kidnapped again? Do you want the Light to win? Do you want this entire world to go to hell in a handbasket?"

Bart wrinkled his nose "Seriously? You've been hanging around Gramps too long, Wally. 'Hell in a handbasket?' Old as time."

Frustrated, Wally grasped his hair tightly, so tight it made his scalp hurt a moment before he snapped "Look, just answer me."

Bart eyed him but he saw desperation in his cousin's eyes. There was something up. He knew that Wally's heart was starting to beat for the hero life again and something was pushing it. He supposed it was Artemis' death but there was something very off about that. He couldn't put his hand on it, nor could he focus on it for long enough to make a difference but he knew that kind of desperation. His own eyes had held it before he left his hell of a life behind. A world that had fallen into hell since before he was born.

"No." he finally answered his cousin. "I've seen my share of Hell, thanks."

Wally would have pursued that comment at any other time but not now. "I may not be doing the superhero thing anymore but I have my reasons for that but that doesn't mean I don't want to help."

Bart made a face. "So….you're not a hero but you want to help anyway? Doesn't make any sense-"

"Not all of us are blessed with the ALLEN blood." He spat at his cousin, poison dripping from his words and his green eyes made Bart feel like a piece of meat with how they bored into him. "Not all of us are Flash's BLOODLINE. Not all of us have our gifts HANDED to us." He snarled, kneeling so he was less than an inch from Bart's face. "But I make use of what I DO have. I don't plan on letting this world die, regardless of what you think of me. I don't really fuckin-"

"You owe Grandma Iris a quarter." Bart interrupted cheekily, "You know, she still has a jar for that but she says it's been empty since you-"

"BART!" Wally hissed through clenched teeth. "I really don't care right now! I've got too much at stake right now! I don't care how useless you think I am. I need to know what happened on that ship!"

Silence for a moment, especially long in speedster time before Bart met Wally's eyes with serious ones. "I don't think you're useless. I never told you that."

Wally growled under his breath "Didn't need to TELL me."

Bart eyed his elder relative then said "Look, if you think you're useless, that's on you, not me. My Dad always said we set more barriers ourselves than anything else did. So, if you're thinking I think you're useless, maybe you should stop thinking that others think that way about you and change your way of thinking, get me?" He held in a small laugh at Wally's bewildered look a minute.

"Damn, you talk too much like Dick when he wants to be a dumb ass."

"Thought I was a smart ass-"

"Yer gonna be called six feet under if you can't tell me something useful." Wally interrupted, rubbing the bridge of his nose "I need to know what happened on that ship, Bart."

Bart eyed him a long moment, pushing his long brown hair from his eyes. "Meta-gene testing."

"Meta?"

"Yeah, you know, superhero powers, meta, mutant, etcetera." Bart responded, "We escaped, nearly got clobbered, stopped Aqualad, esca-"

"What happened to Aqualad?" Wally interrupted, his blood ice-cold. Kaldur was their inside agent. He was Artemis' safe zone. He was the one doing the negotiating with Dick. Their entire plan fell on him. What had happened? That was why Dick had been so silent, so contemplating. Something had changed in his plan, something massive. A major wrench in the works, but what…

Bart shrugged "I dunno exactly. Beast Boy was bragging about how Miss Martian took him out."

Wally stood back up, to his full height. "Damn it."

Bart eyed him, "'Nother quarter."

Wally wasn't listening anymore though. He knew M'gann, Connor and the others were at the Hall of Justice, in DC. He turned on his heels and left Bart behind him, heading down the stairs and dug into his pocket. Though he did not wear it anymore, it was never far from his hand. He drew it out, slipping the golden ring back onto his hand. He paused by the door, considering. He would get there fastest with his speed. The Zeta Tubes announced and tracked too much. The plan was already on shaky ground, he didn't need it to get any shakier. Yes, he'd have to go by foot. He'd risk one of his pain fits but he needed answers. What did M'gann do? How much damage was done? What did she know? Who did she spill to? Had Dick told her anything? Had Dick done anything? What was he doing now? What about Artemis? Dick had promised to keep her safe and now that was compromised.. Oddly enough, Wally's thoughts did not focus on Artemis' safety. She could hold her own for a bit and Dick had never broken a promise before. But, now was everything for naught? What was Dick doing? He was sure the little Bat had some kind of contingency plan, all Bats did. But what kind of damage control was….what did the Light know?!

Too many unanswered questions.

"Uh...what are you doing?"

Wally glared at his cousin, who had followed him down, wearing black sweatpants and one of his uncle's old t-shirts. He didn't answer but for the second time in the last few weeks, Wally activated his ring and snagged the familiar yellow and red suit, tugging it on quickly. It was not as quick as his uncle did but it was fast enough. Bart had not said anything else, just watched. He saw it again: desperation. The kind of desperation that made you do stupid things, the kind of desperation that could be dangerous…or freeing.

"Couz?"

"I was never here, got it, Bart?" he spat. He took a moment to relish the feeling of that suit, to feel at home in it again before touching his symbol, turning the colors a dark murky grey and black. "You don't tell Uncle Barry, you don't tell Grandpa Jay, hear me?" he repeated, his tone silky and dangerous.

Bart frowned "You're not going to do something stupid, are you?"

"You oughta know, you're an expert at it." Wally responded as he pulled his goggles over his eyes, switching them to night vision mode. He opened the door, closing it behind him. He spied his bike a moment, cursed before tossing it into the garage, behind all the trash and old furniture. God only knew exactly what was back there so it would buy him some time. Unlike a certain Bat, his motorcycle did not have a 'return to origin' feature. So, he had to make due. He turned his eyes to his cousin again, standing there in the cold night air. "Please, Bart." He tried again, his eyes begging. He hated to be so desperate when it came to dealing with Bart but this was vital. He could not risk anymore holes to that plan. It was already at risk of falling to pieces at the seams.

Bart was quiet a moment. "Fine." He finally replied. "Because I know yer just as stubborn as I am so you'd probably do it anyway. Feel the mode, Couz."

Wally gave a nod and tore off down the street in a silent black streak. Bart eyed the boy's trail a moment. Something was up, something dangerous, something important. It made his heart feel a little weak. Something that had to do with the future, something that had to do with Dick, with all the others. If there was one thing Bart was learning in this time, it was how great it was to have someone to support your back. It was a rarity he never got at home and he relished in it. It really helped you not to make any stupid mistakes and made your victories a hell of a lot better. Now, his cousin was running off to do God knew what and he wasn't even clueing him in? He was part of the Flash family, right? They looked out for each other. That was how this world wasn't going to die like his had.

With a smirk that could have been overlapped with a Wally smirk just five years ago, Bart re-entered the house, stood at the bottom of the stairs and called "Oh GrandMA!"


	3. Chapter 2: Infiltration Limitation

**_Chapter Two: Limitation Infiltration_**

Taking another shallow breath, Dick took a moment to familiarize himself with the situation. Truth be told, it was not that hard to find an enemy ship. That disturbed him. He had known that they were outmatched but he had never dreamed they were as outgunned as venturing into the depths had unveiled for him. It made him more than a little sick to his stomach. He had thought that he had a good idea of the Light and their partner's abilities, their resources. It seemed he had greatly underestimated them.

Now, he had to pull his inside sources out. That gave him a sigh of relief though. If there was one thing he could not stomach, it was the thought of any of his team dying. He was well aware he had fallen into Batman-mode and that this was a war situation but he had to stay true to himself too. That was something Bruce had taught Dick Grayson. Batman was not great about relaying that to Robin but Bruce made sure Dick knew it. The one thing Dick was expected to be was himself. Nightwing was an extension of himself. Unlike his mentor, who had Batman and Bruce Wayne as complete separate personas, Dick Grayson had never taken that route. Dick Grayson could not stomach losing any of his team members and thus, neither could Nightwing.

He tried to convey that to his younger protégé, the new Robin. Tim had only been Robin since the beginning of the year. They had lost Jason, the second Robin, not that long before, not in Dick's mind. It had hardened his mentor, even more so than he had already been. It had not stopped there though; the ripples of it had passed through the entire league. He had seen it, the way that Clark finally got over his awkward teenager phase and taken Conner under his wing. The way that Black Canary had started to do random counseling sessions, sometimes to the group as a whole, sometimes to select members. He had seen how protective the others became, in particular Green Arrow and Flash. Green Arrow because of the revelation about Roy's kidnapping and the fact that the original Roy had still been lost at the time (and given what he heard about original Roy's anger and his transformation into Arsenal, perhaps the worry had been justified.) Flash, well, everyone knew that Flash was the Mother Hen of the Justice League, especially when it came to Wally. He had certainly become one then, and not just for Wally but him as well. It came with the best friend territory.

Dick bit his lip, even as he waited, as he could hear the inevitable approach of the troops as they boarded the ship. Getting shot down had been easy. It may have been an older model but they had recognized it as being affiliated with the Justice League and that was reason enough to investigate it. He waited, baiting his breath as he had been taught to escape detection and pushing himself into the groove of the ceiling, in a position that was impossible for a majority of the population. He could still press into positions that made even the most agile of the Justice League wince.

Thinking about that made him feel even worse. He had never intended things to become this messy. He and Kaldur had planned the idea as a last resort, with each of them praying and hoping it would not come to it. Dick meant to make sure they all came out alive but he worried about Kaldur. He still had little idea what had happened to him. He just knew it had to do with M'gann's mental powers and that made him nervous. He had his suspicions of her actions. She was doing her best to hide them but he was not the protégé of the best detective in the world for nothing. While he had no consistent proof, not surprising given the intangibility of mental powers, he had reason to suspect her of being abusive with her powers, of going beyond the acceptable limit.

He had not addressed her on mainly because he could not see a way of doing it when he saw what he and the others doing as going beyond the acceptable limit. He dreaded the aftermath of this mission. He had to make sure they conquered these invaders. He could not accept that they had made all these sacrifices for nothing. That was not acceptable. He had to make they all got out. He could accept the end of the world, as weird as that sounded, as long as the people dear to him survived. He had learned that a long time ago; he had lost his home when he left the circus but Bruce had showed him a new family, a new life. The Team had become just as part of his family as Bruce, as Alfred, as Jason, as Tim…

Dick shook his head. He had lost Jason, his little brother, such a short time ago. He had no idea if it was connected to the invasion but the fact remained his little brother was gone. He refused to let Tim join him, he refused to let Artemis, Kaldur, Wally, or any of the others join him. He had felt the sting of that pain and had decided then and there that it would not happen again, not so long as he had a means to breathe and act. Hence, the reason he was here now. Truthfully, it would ease his heart to get this huge secret out into the open. As a Bat, he was accustomed to keeping secrets, probably more so than most people would think healthy but he had never been as comfortable with it as his mentor.

He didn't know where they would go from here. Hopefully, Artemis and Kaldur had gotten enough information to give them the edge they needed. If not, they would have to adjust and deal with it but the risks had grown so much that they outweighed the benefits. He was afraid for Artemis, afraid for Kaldur. He had to get them out. He could not afford to run them in the gauntlet anymore. He took a breath deep into his lungs as he heard scrapping outside the doorway. The enemy had boarded and they were close. He could hear only one set of feet but he was not fool enough to think they were alone.

Reaching into his belt, he took out two small pellets. One he popped into his mouth and one he held tightly in his hand. He kept his body dead still otherwise as he heard the doorway pop open from the far back of the sub. He could make out the enemy sub attached door to door. They may have been used to the depths, to the pressure, to the water but they also tried to make use of every resource and the pressure here would crush any potential resource without the air tight lock.

Dick counted his blessings on that. He may have had a million different gadgets but there was not anything so far that would protect him from the pressure at this depth. So, he kept quiet and slowly, below him, gun out, one of Black Manta's men appeared, seemingly alone. He was about his height, his weight, his build. Plus, he had a breathing apparatus, much like Manta did. Dick waited, patiently as the creature emerged full on into the room before he made his attack. Throwing the pellet in his hand, he swung down in the same movement, hitting the man full force with his feet in the back of the head while his pellet hit its mark on the man's trigger finger, turning it numb and useless. The gun fell from his hand and, still dazed, he whirled around only to get a swift right hook in the face that shut off all his senses for the moment.

Standing as silently on the ground as a shadow, Dick turned his ears to the approaching steps. Two sets of feet, one larger than the other. He leapt back to the ceiling again, waiting, patiently. Reaching into his mouth, he pulled out his remaining pellet, watching. He had to be quick and silent as possible. Stealth was his specialty but he would only have a limited window before they could activate any warning back to their superiors. The limp body on the ground was a dead give-away. He kept silent, baiting his breath.

When the door opened again, he dropped down, silent as a shadow and with a precision that only the son of a bat could have.

_Washington, D.C._

Wally fell to his knees for the third time in his run, cursing as his muscles and organs all began their horrific seizures. His vision blurred, as it usually did but this time, Wally forced his legs to straighten. The muscles still tensed and shook and he found himself barely able to stumble forward. "D-damn it, not now." He hissed through his teeth. "I don't have t-time for this!"

He felt his stomach clench and bubble and had to bite his lip to keep down his dinner. He stopped again, sitting on his knees again. He took a deep breath in through his nose, like his Uncle had taught him to do. It helped steady the motions and after a few minutes, the fit stopped, though it left him a bit dizzy and drained, as usual. He took a moment to let his knees steady then took off again, pushing himself up to top speed again, as quickly as he was able. He was supposed to wait and rest whenever these fits happened but he had no time for that right now. He had survived two previous fits on his way here and now that he could see the Hall of Justice in the distance, he was in no mood to wait. Something was up, something major and he meant to get answers for it.

As it was, being a scientist, his mind was already plowing through all kinds of probable circumstances that would have forced Dick to take off like he did. Already he was picturing what M'gann could have possibly done to Kaldur. He was racing to think of what types of advances or possible dangers were being developed from this 'meta-gene' research. He had no answers and that just made him all the more nervous and fidgety. He needed to get some type of evidence; he needed more knowledge than he currently had.

Coming to a skidding stop in front of the hall, the young man took a roundabout way. His uncle had explained it to him not long after the battle on the Watchtower. He didn't know if the others had been given the same tour but his Uncle had insisted he had a right to know the in and out of the Hall, as well as whatever access it had to the Watchtower and the Cave. He supposed it should not have surprised him; it had taken time to be awarded his spot as Flash' sidekick but once that had been created, trust was essential.

After the issue with Cadmus, he'd confronted his uncle about the secrets and about how much it had hurt. His uncle had smiled gently at him and made him a vow about trust. He had told him that there were some things he could not tell him, not because of a lack of trust but because he wanted him to be ready. He told him flat out that there were things that had happened within the Justice League's years that he was not about to tell him when he was still "so young." He had pouted and complained about 'not being a little kid' but his uncle had assured him "when you're ready, I'll tell you it all. You're like my own kid, Wally. Let Uncle B spare SOME of that innocence." Then he'd kissed his forehead and hugged him tight, telling him 'you and I have something special, kid. Don't ever forget that.' Wally had finally accepted that explanation and had nearly forgotten about it in recent years, except for that 'you and I have something special, kid' part.

That twisting awful feeling in his gut began again as he entered the code 021960BB28 into a hidden compartment in the wall. The wall slid open and he slipped inside. Yet here he was, years later, keeping such a horrible secret from his family. His family that he had sworn he would never lie to. Yet, what had he been doing for years? Since Kaldur had 'deflected'? He had seen enough lies with his own blood family. His Flash family was so much nearer and dearer to his heart, as horrible as that sounded. He had not heard from his parents since he moved out. Their response to his illness had simply been acknowledgement though his father's face had clearly shown he thought Wally had been at fault for trying to replicate the experiment in the first place. They had little to no place in his life anymore.

But his Flash family, his Uncle Barry, his Aunt Iris, Grandpa Jay and Grandma Joan…they were still all so close to him. His cousin Bart still caused him so much emotional pain but not through any malice of his own. If anything, Wally blamed his own self-doubt and failings, not his cousin although the boy was certainly easier to take it out on. All his malice, anger and frustration was probably misplaced, though Bart's arrogance could get bothersome, Wally knew he used the boy's pride in his bloodline as fuel to stay angry at him but truth be told, he was proud of his link to Uncle Barry too. He desired and wished it was a stronger link, like the link Bart had been blessed with but it was still a link and he treasured it. If he had been thrown to a past OR a future, would he be bragging that he was directly connected to the great Barry Allen?

Hell yes, he would.

Wally winced and rubbed his temples as he slipped his way into the building. It was dark, the lights were off but he felt the familiar tingle as computerized sensors took note of the intruder. He heard the barely audible 'permitted' as it recognized him as Kid Flash and continued on his way, his mind askew with more emotions than anyone should ever have to deal with. Fear, for Artemis, for Kaldur. Worry for his best friend, God only knew what he was up to and he covered his tracks damn well, guilt for keeping his family in the dark…

Did he truly worry that breaking the vow of silence would ruin the plan or was it a deeper, more sensitive and selfish worry? The plan was already nearly in shambles. True enough he was hoping to keep it from falling apart entirely but in the back of his mind, that was not what constantly swam through his mind, though he pondered that it SHOULD have been. He should have been worrying about how the invasion would pan out if this plan failed. He should have been wondering how they would drive away an invasion that was already placing political fail-safes.

But instead, the images that were flashing through his mind were of betrayed eyes peering out at him from his Uncle's eyes. Anger, disgust, sadness…all directed at him.

That made him tremble in fear. His Uncle was so dear to him. If this came out, if all these lies came out into the open, what would that do to his Uncle's image of him? They had something so precious. Wally had not forgotten that over the years. They had grown a bit distance because of his college and because his Uncle did not want to hurt him with reminders of the hero life but they were still so close. When Wally had graduated early with his Associates and prepared to enter his Masters/Doctorate program, who had been in the audience, cheering and whistling at him as he walked across the stage? Who was it that squealed, ran to him and twirled him around the first time he bested Black Canary in a fight? Who was it that came plowing into the battlefield when he had heard his health was compromised?

Wally shook his head, rubbing his arms subconsciously to ward off the emotional chill. That was who his Uncle was, always there for him and never delaying at coming to his defense. Their bond was strong, forged on mutual trust and openness. So…what was going to happen when his uncle found out about all his lies? All the times he had told false hoods, right to his Uncle's face? That strong rock that Barry was in Wally's life, would it be wretched out from underneath him? Wally really didn't know if he could take that. Artemis was one of his rocks, Dick was his other. Uncle Barry was his third. He supposed the foundation of his life rested on those three. But if you removed one…

He shook his head violently. That was why he was here, to prevent any of that from happening. He still had time; there was still something he could do. He honestly wasn't sure what but finding out some answers was the first step. He had many hypotheses but not nearly enough evidence to support one or another. The scientist in him was determined to find a way to make a difference, even if it was minor one. His family, Artemis, Dick, Uncle Barry, all of them, they were too important for him to lose. This world was too important to all that he held dear to let it fall away. Mount Justice was…just one sacrifice that showed him more and more that more sacrifices had to be stopped. They were in deep, maybe too deep.

_You gotta stop digging once you realize you're in a big pit._

Wally bit his lip again as his feet padded against the metal floor, the silent echo making him feel even more alone. His Uncle was King of the Corny Puns and he had advised Wally with that exact line when he and Artemis had been in the midst of one of their fights. They had both been so stubborn and unrelenting that Wally had spent nearly a week bunking with his Uncle and Aunt, refusing to talk to Artemis. He had told his Uncle he would wait for her to give in. Barry had simply laughed and told him that corny line and remarked that he could keep digging by not compromising or he could throw down his shovel.

Man, if only his Uncle could see the type of hole he was in now. If they dug much deeper, he was pretty sure he or Dick were going to nick the Devil's tail. Or at the very least trip and fall in a very hot lake. Trouble was, there were so many variables that they had not seen, so many twists that had emerged. Now…now, not only was it starting to look like earth was going to fall, regardless, but the lives of his friends and family were at risk with him able to offer little resistance. That sickened him.

He didn't want to lose ANYONE and he sure as hell didn't want the last thing they heard from him to be a lie.

Damn it, he was doing it again! He was only doing the best he could with what he could! He didn't want to lie, he didn't want to be deceitful, he was only doing it for as long as he had to and then, then he would tell all! Then...then…what if his Uncle, his family…what if they looked at him…different? Dick had said it best: they may never forgive us.

But… hadn't his Uncle told him more times than he could remember that he would always forgive him?

Blowing air from his nose noisily, he frowned; sure, that sounded good but didn't every parent tell their kid that? And he wasn't even Uncle Barry's kid.

He didn't have time to be focusing on this. He didn't know where Dick had gone, how he had gotten there. He didn't know what kind of danger Artemis was in or what had been changed since they had rescued the hostages from the meta-gene lab. The enemy was hardly stupid; they had proved that a thousand times over. He was willing to bet money that the entire purpose of brainwashing the Justice League those five years ago was to make sure that the act would catch up to them and remove their big guns. He didn't know how or what they had done but it was obviously very meticulously planned out. Hell, it bordered on Batman-plan efficient.

Pausing, he felt oddly…well, watched. Actually, it was more like he was being dissected, without any cutting. Kind of like when a mother would stare you down but this felt far deadlier. Not even on the same level of an enemy look. This felt deeper, the entire room dripped with betrayal, with anger, with sadness, with frustration. Wally paused in his step and turned, his eyes narrowed in preparation. Even so, even knowing what he had come here to learn, he was still not expecting the cold, dark gaze that peered right into his soul from those bright green eyes that emerged from the hall.

Swallowing, he stood up straight and as much as it pained him, he met her eyes. "Hello M'gann."


	4. Chapter 3: Testing Family Limits

**_Chapter Three: Testing Family Links_**

"You've got a lot of nerve." Was her opening statement, enunciated by her dark green glowing eyes and the fact that she hovered a bit, she did not walk. That made her smaller form seem much larger than Wally, but he was at least grateful she remained in the humanoid form he had learned to associate with her, rather than the white hulking form. Granted, that form was still his friend but it was…well, it was a bit like growing up with a friend who wore glasses and then one day having them switch to contacts. It wasn't what you associated with them. Though, Wally found this comparison to be a minimal comparison at best. Glasses and a true alien form were quite a bit different.

Her personality had altered the most in the years since he had known her. In some ways, he felt like he barely knew her anymore yet in other ways, she was still that innocent young girl who had come to Earth so utterly confused and yet fascinated by everything. Still, he was not blind to the fact that she tended to become more dangerous with emotional situation and this certainly was an emotional situation. He eyed her, firmly and took her words into account. "Why? By coming here to try and fix things?"

Oh, how her eyes burned green at that. "Things that wouldn't NEED to be fixed in the first place if you had not gone behind our backs? She was like my sister Wally. She had a mother. A mother who is still mourning. A mother that YOU didn't have the decency to tell the truth to!"

Wally set his jaw firmly and approached her, though cautiously. "This isn't about what I wanted to do, M'gann" he assured her. "It never has been about what I wanted—"

"You know better than that!" She interrupted him. "You and Artemis seemed pretty content to leave the war to us and live out your lives. I supported her in that but now I find out that THAT was a false front too?" She eyed him again, hovering closer, making him back up. Her intensive stare made him nervous as did her powers in general. Truth be told, the idea of an enemy that could mess with your mind as opposed to your body massively unnerved him. He treasured his ability to think, reason and he knew all too well that M'gann had the ability to take that away. Hell, her ability to do that was the main reason he was here.

"Artemis and I were always doing our part for the invasion." He told her simply. "We didn't do it the same way you all did but-"

"I'm supposed to believe you?" She inquired.

Wally gave her a look, sighing deeply. "Look, M'gann I didn't come here to argue that with you. I came here because I know something happened on Black Manta's ship. Something with you and Kaldur." He eyed her. "Judging by how you're giving me the tenth degree, I can guess you know about Nightwing's plan then?"

She narrowed her eyes to tiny slits. "Yes."

The fact that she didn't go off on another emotional tangent was both reassuring and frightening but he ran with it. "What happened?"

The room was so silent that Wally could hear the wind blowing outside and they were a good couple of rooms inside the Hall. He supposed if their situations had been reversed, he would hardly be wanting to talk but that wasn't a luxury they had at the moment. Time had always been precious but now it lingered on fragile. It would have been great if he could have time to soothe over her hurt feelings and he made a mental note to do so as soon as he could but desperation fueled his heart. Desperation rested in his eyes and he tried to appeal to her on that level. "Look, M'gann, I never wanted the plan to go as deep as it—"

"How long have you known?" she spat coldly. "How long have you been keeping your 'friends' in the dark?" She purposely performed the 'air quotation' marks that she had learned during her time on Earth and oh, did that get her a reaction, though not the one she had been expecting. The young man in front of her suddenly turned rigid, his muscles tensed and his eyes became just as a dangerous as hers. Regardless of popular belief, it was possible for a Flash to get angry but it happened so rarely that it was often dismissed. Enough so that only a few saw it but she was suddenly faced with one.

"You can accuse me of a lot, M'gann Morse" He spoke slowly, his deep baritone a great contrast to the innocent laughter he used to possess. "But I don't make false friends. You've all never stopped being my friends. Ever."

Her anger was clearly evident by her tone of voice and the fact she still had yet to stop hovering, though she did not hover very high. She kept herself at his eye level and now was less than a foot away from him. "So you make it a point to let your friends suffer in silence when they didn't have to suffer at all?" She inquired, her eyes a darker green now. "You made it a point to let us all keep mourning when you could have at least told us she was still alive? My sister…"

"Look, M'gann." Wally interrupted her again and taking most of his willpower not to look away from those dark green eyes. "You think it was easy for me? It wasn't. I hated it. Still hate the fact I even did it but it worked for Nightwing's plan-"

"He wasn't forcing you to be part of his plan." M'gann snarled. "You could have always said no."

Wally scoffed lightly. "You don't know him very well, even after five years, do you?" He responded. "Nightwing defines charismatic." He eyed her "And besides that, his plan made sense. It was well-thought out—"

"And he didn't bother to clue us in on it?" she demanded, her emotions becoming more apparent by the tensing of her body. "He didn't think it would be important to let his TEAM know what was going on yet you and Artemis, who abandoned this team a long time ag-"

"Okay, two things, M'gann." Wally interrupted her, holding his hand up as some type of barrier between the two of them; she was seriously sucking all the air out of his personal bubble and he was claustrophobic as it was without her being so close. "One, Nightwing has been my best friend since before we even were a team. I know a hell of a lot more about him than any of you will ever know. If he has a plan, he usually includes me in on it, regardless."

That much was true, for the most part. It was only a year before they formed the team when Robin exposed his secret identity to Wally, willingly. It had taken until about two or three years before now that Big Bad Bats had any clue and once Dick gave him the okay, he told his Uncle he knew about Batman and Robin's identities. The response from Barry had been to laugh and then to congratulate them on being able to pull one over on Batman. Apparently, his Uncle Barry was one of a very select few who knew Batman's secret identity. Judging by Uncle Barry's response, Wonder Woman, Superman and himself knew though he would not disclose how they knew.

"Second." Wally went on "Artemis and I never abandoned this team. We had our reasons for leaving, some that aren't any of your business." As soon as that left his mouth, Wally winced. Oh, yeah that was tactful on an already livid Martian. Smooth move.

"Oh, so you just decided to leave all the bad guys to us, left us after you'd made a vow to defend others and you expect me to take a 'we had reasons?'"

Wally groaned "Look, M'gann, I didn't come here to argue whether or not Nightwing's plan was good, or the reasons why Artemis and I can't fight like we used to anymore—"

"SHE seems to be fighting fine." M'gann interrupted "I would be fighting next to her!"

"This isn't a simple one-shot battle, M'gann!" Wally cut in, frustration cutting through his appearance despite how he tried to mask it. "It's easy enough to keep you all involved with one battle or a handful but you know as well as I do that this has become all-out war!" He eyed her "We keep people involved who need to be involved."

"So, you deem me unworthy of that? Or was that Nightwing's call?" She inquired. "If he had told me that Artemis was alive, that she was with Kaldur, then I wouldn't—"

Wally locked eyes with her again; his heart sped up as he remembered abruptly his entire reason for coming here. "You wouldn't have what?" he inquired, his eyes boring into hers "What did you do?"

"I thought he'd killed Artemis. I thought I had a right to—" She seemed young again, suddenly, lost. Her eyes seemed cold, dark, saddened. There was a deep rooted guilt in them, a guilt usually veiled by strength, by power. She had become well aware of her powers over the years. Her first real experience with it had been the simulation, the simulation that was so close to reality now. She had been deeply troubled by it and had taken it upon herself at that moment to never allow such horrible things to occur. She had decided as the events unfolded over the last of that first year that she would take any steps to silence an enemy. Any means to keep them from hurting the people she held dear to her heart.

"To what?" Wally nearly shouted. "What did you do, M'gann? What did you do to him?!" Wally's face turned a faint red shade and M'gann could make out the faint remains of his freckles. She almost wished that they had stayed hidden. The freckles reminded her of who Wally used to be, the red haired flirt that had always greeted her with a smile and welcomed her with wide arms into their circle. Seeing him in his Kid Flash costume, even if it was the stealth form, after these years was unnerving, brought her back to where they had once been. Now…look where they had ended up. An endless circle of lies, deceit…and it had led to…

Rage reignited in her heart as she relived that moment, that pivotal moment when she realized she had…and because she had not been informed. If she had known…oh, God, she would have stopped herself, she would not have attacked. If she had known he was still friend, not foe, then she never would have…

Her eyes burned from green to a dark red, an outward sign of her White Martian anger. She pressed closer, grabbing hold of Wally's uniform front as she hovered a little higher, so she could stare down into his eyes. Those accusing eyes, she had seen enough of those from Conner. He kept reminding her that she was going too far. She refused to accept that. Her ability to tear information from their enemies was an immense advantage that had helped them so far in this Invasion. Conner had told her that the line had been drawn and she'd crossed it. She had NOT crossed it. If she had known Kaldur was…

"If you and Nightwing had told us, if you had been honest with us—" she accused, her eyes burning so brightly that it brought tears to Wally's own eyes. He wished he had pulled his goggles over his eyes to shield them but while he had expected this talk to not go well, he was not expecting this. The M'gann he used to know had such high moral standards. When had those been washed away? When had she forgotten that she had to maintain the difference between hero and villain? That she was responsible for that, not what team she stood on.

"M'gann, what we did has nothing to do with what YOU do. What did YOU decide to do to Kaldur?" He found it was harder to keep his voice steady but he managed it. He had to get his answers. He needed them or he wouldn't know what step to take next. He may have retired from the team but it had never been by his own choice. Now, he was seeing all too clearly that he had to reenter this. He had been doing the best he could from the side lines but that was no longer going to cut it. He had to take control of it, he had to thrust himself back into it, for the sake of everyone.

If he had to start it with a fight with one of his old teammates so be it. He never wavered in his determined gaze that he set upon M'gann.

Her tone was dark and accusing when she answered him and she had not relinquished her grip on his uniform front at all. "He was a villain. Or so I was told" She put particular emphasis on that. "I dealt with him the same way I would to anyone I consider a threat. I took the information I thought we needed and—"

"By force." Wally interrupted her again, so utterly stunned by the woman he was staring at. She didn't resemble the young red haired Martian he had met five years ago at all. "You forced your way in. After all the time we told you that that wasn't the way we did it here…"

"And as I recall" she spat "You told me it was okay on the bad guys." She reminded him, her hair swirling a bit about her head.

"Not to that extent! And we were what, thirteen and fifteen when we told you that? You've lived through a hell of a lot since then M'gann, haven't you—"

She eyed him intently, her voice still unwavering. "I have. I have seen what I refuse to lose." Her thoughts turned to all her close friends, all her family. Garfield…poor Garfield. His poor mother, all because of her in so many ways. She would not lose her newfound little brother. She refused. She refused, no matter what the cost! "I won't let anything take those away. I finally have a family, friends. No invasion, no alien, nothing is going to take that away."

Wally stared at her. "But at what cost, M'gann? You lived almost our first year here in hiding from yourself. You didn't want to show yourself. But then, you finally opened up to us and found yourself, let us see your real personality. You poured yourself into the fight, into helping the others. You said you couldn't stand the thought of someone else being victimized." He eyed her intently. "You said your own past was your driving force behind that! You're willing to abandon all that…" He eyed her, as lots of memories tore through his mind at a speed only a speedster could possess. The way she was so insecure about herself, about her White Martian form, about their battles with Psimon….

"Oh, God. When we first met Garfield… Psimon…when we all passed out. You did that, didn't you?" Horror gripped his heart. Psimon had been lying on the ground, not blinking, breathing, drooling. A living vegetable. Kaldur…their dear friend. Had she reduced him to little more than a mid-brain driven zombie?

She eyed Wally immensely. "I proved my point to him. I am not a weakling. I was NOT going to be a cause of someone dying, not like in that simulation. I am NOT letting that become reality, Wally!" She lifted him up a bit more so he was barely touching the floor with his toes. Wally eyed her.

"But…at the cost of yourself? You said yourself that White Martians were regarded as monsters M'gann. How have you become any better than the enemies you fight?" He asked her sincerely. "And Kaldur…"

"That was not my fault!" She screeched at him. "I thought he was the enemy!"

Wally asked her again, almost begging. "But…how is it okay for you to do that to an enemy?" he pleaded with her. "I'm not saying I've been perfect, M'gann. Hell, you're right. We've done a lot of things, a lot of secrets that are hardly heroic but...there's a line we-"

"You lied to us, to the team, to your own FAMILY" She accused him, tightening her grip. Conner had never stopped telling her what he thought of her methods. She found it more and more difficult to ignore. When this incident with Kaldur had occurred, Conner's warnings had flooded her mind and now, with Wally repeating them, it was driving her nearly mad. She was doing the right thing, she was keeping the Earth safe, she was serving as best she could. It had been an error, an error, an error, that was all. If she had known, she would…she would have…"You lied to your own family." She repeated again; it was easier to focus on what Wally had done that she saw as wrong rather than what was in front of her face and repeated in her mind. She would continue to do what she had to do to stop the invasion but with Kaldur…it had thrown a lot of guilt and doubt right back in her face.

Wally jerked back, his heart pounding as the realization was thrown in his face again. He was trying not to think on that, trying to reason with himself that it was for the best. He was trying to keep them safe. As it was, Artemis was in danger, Kaldur was in danger. Why should he pull some of his family in on it as well? He just wanted them safe, that was all. IS that what M'gann reasoned when she took information by force? Wally was not so naïve to believe he was beyond crossing that line but it was a line he kept in plain sight. He forced himself to remember it, to not fall past it.

She had just stridden past it. Did she regret doing it? Did she…

"You lie for the benefit of Nightwing's plan, for your own benefit and you don't seem to think about what consequences that gives to US. You don't think about the people it hurts!" M'gann continued, her tone dark, twisted and angry though at this point, she wasn't entirely sure who she was so furious at: Wally, Nightwing, Artemis, herself, Conner, the invaders, the situations itself, the Light, the League, or some massive combination of them. She just knew her emotions had not been so labile and intensive for a long, long time.

Her red eyes had Wally deeply unnerved and he felt…well, vulnerable and utterly alone. He had come here hoping to explain himself, hoping to get answers so that they could undo this horrible mess. He had not meant to be accusing though he felt he certainly had been. It was hard not to be, with so many different emotions pulling at the air. He felt scared, abandoned, frightened, frustrated and fearful for the two friends in the ocean depths and one friend he was sure was trying something reckless. "I lie to keep you guys out of this mess." He tried. "We weren't consciously trying to—"

"Well you DID." She interrupted again and Wally felt oddly exposed. Almost like he was standing in front of a class and someone was ripping apart an essay he was presenting. It was an uneasy feeling and he tried his hardest to push past it. Every time he did though, it returned, just as strong. If anything, it grew stronger with each attempt. He was finding it hard to focus. "M'gann, I just came to get answers, to try and fix this big mess." He admitted to her. "I never claimed to be perfect. I never claimed that Nightwing's plan was perfect. Hell, I think he's made a lot of rookie mistakes. But things just…aren't simple anymore."

If anything, that just infuriated the Martian more. "You aren't really trying to preach to me on what's at stake, are you? Have you been there, Wallace? On the field, risking your life?" She pressed her face so close that their forehead touched and tears sprung from his eyes at the intensity. "Have you seen what it's like to see what the Reach does to people? What their partnership has-

"Would be if it had been an option." He responded simply. He suspected that truth was the strongest he had spoken in months. He had hated himself for being unable to help, for being restricted to the sidelines. Hearing M'gann speak it aloud just reinforced that he really did not know the intensity of this invasion, not like the others did.

"Why wouldn't it be?" She pressed, her perseverance not swayed in the slightest. Her anger seemed dulled a bit but it ignited again with his answer. It was an answer Wally debated giving but utilmately, he was not ready to tell her that the reason he didn't fight was because his own body betrayed him.

"I…can't exactly say."

"So...you come here to get answers, saying you want to help…yet you keep your own secrets still?" She accused. "How am I supposed to trust you with any information?" She demanded, her eyes lighting up even brighter. "Why _should_ I trust you?"

Wally locked sights with her. "I could ask you the same thing, M'gann. How am I supposed to be able to trust anyone that is willing to give a fate worse than death to their enemies just because it makes the mission easier?"

"Don't you judge me." She threatened, her dark tone making Wally's hair stand on end. "Don't you dare judge me." She repeated, her eyes turning dark red. "DON'T JUDGE ME!"

Her emotional outburst erupted in Wally's mind in the form of intensive pain, enough that his vision turned white, then all went black.

_Black Manta's Ship_

Footsteps echoing through the long hallways, Tigress paused, looking around. She had no reason to suspect she was being followed but she also had no reason to think she wasn't being followed. As it currently stood, Kaldur was still in their medical facility and lots of attempts were being made to bring him back from his comatose state. She wished she could stay by his side but Black Manta would have none of that. As odd as it seemed, he was turning out to be a caring parent. It confused her somewhat. But the fact remained that he regarded her with suspicion and she could hardly blame him. M'gann fried his son's brain and she had only been Kaldur's right hand for a short period of time. She would have found that suspicious herself.

There. There was definitely something there. She heard it again but it was almost like it WANTED to be heard. If she were more superstitious, it would have rightly frightened her but as it was, it merely put her on edge. If there was one thing she knew, it was how to function when on edge. She paused again, her eyes darting about. Her senses were tingling and her hand hovered close to her weapon.

"Artemis."

Her eyes flew open as a black haired figure dropped from above her. She put a hand to her chest a moment, catching her heart before it leapt into her throat. "Nightwing—"

"We're aborting the mission." He interrupted her, his eyes intensely focused; he was running as soon as his feet hit the floor. "And we don't have long to do it. Where's Kaldur?"

"Wai..what?" She asked, even as she fell into step next to him as they thundered down the halls. "Abortin-"

"Too dangerous." He responded. "Not enough gain for the loss." He gave her a deeply sympathetic look. "I'm sorry I put you and Wally though this."

She scoffed. "I came because I wanted to. Kaldur isn't going to be much help because-"

"I heard talk when I snuck in." Nightwing interrupted her, his eyes slightly downcast; he had heard the talk of the comatose son of Black Manta and it had nearly broken him. While he had come with a faint idea of what to expect, hearing it phrased 'a vegetative state' was heart crushing. Still, he didn't have time to focus on it now. Miss Martian may have caused the issue but Nightwing also had enough faith in her to knowshe had not done so with malice. They may have a chance to repair the damage, though that hardly helped them at the present. "We'll deal with that as we go."

The sound of clambering feet behind them made Nightwing turn, drawing his sticks as he did so. To Artemis, he said "Can you move Kaldur?"

She winced at the thought, because let's face it, Kaldur was heavy. Though, being an archer for her entire life had certainly incressed her upper body strength beyond what most people even dreamed of. It was a strain but it was doable. "Yes but not far."

"How about the submarine bay?" he asked, as, somehow he continued running alongside her, even backwards so he could face any opponents. Even after learning he used to be an acrobat, once he had revealed his identity to her, she was stounded by the stunts he was able to pull off. Running backward may not have seemed that big a stunt but when she considered he was probably on an adrenaline rush, keeping pace with her and still amanaging to survey the landscape, she had to give him a nod of appreciation, even as he continued, without missing a beat. "Can you manage him that far and into one of the subs?"

"If I can get the sick bay cleared." She responded just as quickly. As before, when they had fought off the Tornados in Mount Justice, they fell into fighter mode. She had learned to perfect it over the years and with Dick automatically becoming one with that mode, she followed suit. There would be time for more emotional interaction later. "Black Manta has him under the best protection in his mind."

"So distraction to bring every single warrior out?" he inquired to her. "No problem. You head for Sick Bay, I'll handle the rest."

Her eyes shot open again "Nightwing, are you crazy?" she nearly screamed at him.

The faintest hint of the young boy she had met several years ago emerged in the form of a faint grin and a "Jury's still out on that, Artie."

"This isn't funny!" She spat at him. "You're talking nuts! There are at least 200 troops down here."

"I've got my plans." He responded to her stoically, his former glint gone and replaced with the face of a war-torn general, one that had tried all his tricks, pulled all his aces and one that had been reduced to trying one final stunt, regardless of how safe it was.

She didn't bother to comment that his plans were what got them here in the first place. It wasn't the time or place. If he had come this far to pull her and Kaldur out, he was acutely aware of it already. No need to rub it in. Besides, if she knew her Wally, he had done that enough for her. Besides, she saw a darkness in Nightwing's eyes that was so alien from the Dick Grayson she knew. It was frightening to be perfectly frank. Still, she had learned to rely on him over the years. Despite his unorthodox ways (and he was a much reduced version when compared to his teacher) he had never steered them wrong before.

"So go," he told her again as he stopped running. Artemis paused a moment, eyeing him.

"Nightwing.."

"You get Kaldur to the submarine. Set its coordinates for what's left of Mount Justice. There's a storage area under the beach with vehicles. Head for the Hall of Justice." He told her firmly.

"You're coming out with me, nut." She reminded him, her eyes narrowed.

The young man was silent a moment before he said "It's important we get you and Kaldur out. You two have the best chance of giving us an advantage against the Light and—"

"If you think I'm leaving without you, Richard Grayson," she spat at him, her tone deep and threatening. "You have another thing coming."

"Artemis." He countered, turning to look at her. "I can't let you die, not you, not Kaldur. I'm making sure you get back to Wally—"

The twosome turned and ran as the sounds approaching got closer, Nightwing having no choice but to run alongside Artemis. He was frustrated but if running with her to get Kaldur would get the two of them out of here, fine, he would go along with her for now. All that mattered was getting the two of them out, not matter the cost. He would gladly pay it himself if he had to.

"Wally may want me back." Artemis interrupted his thoughts as they paused in the shadows of the next corridor. She turned and locked eyes with the blue and black clad warrior. "But he wants his brother back too."

_Hall of Justice, Washington D.C._

"-et up. Wally, get up."

Gradually, the throbbing pain in his head subsided enough for Wally to blink and then open his eyes. It took a moment then they focused on the worried face of his brown haired cousin. The boy beamed as soon as he could focus. "Crash! You're okay."

"Awake, yes. Okay, up for debate." Wally protested as he sat up, trying to get his bearings. He heard crying in the background as well as yelling and rapid speech. He shook his head, grateful that the sting was fading. It had not been an attack, which was what he originally thought though he was ashamed to think it. M'gann had attacked Kaldur because she thought he was an enemy, no other reason. She may have been angry but she would not attack him. As Wally realized all his mental capacities were still intact, he caught recognition of a voice: M'gann's and it was sobbing.

"Wally! You're alright! I'm sorry, I'm sorry—"

"What did you do?" a sharp female voice cut in, anger penetrating her every word. Wally shook his head again and stood slowly, Bart, taking hold of his arm. Another arm grasped his other side and gently heaved him up. Turning, he found himself face to face with the kind wrinkled face he had spent many evenings with.

"Grandpa Jay?"

"You've always been a stubborn one, Wally. Reminds me of Joan in a lot of ways."

Gradually, the red haired speedster glanced around. Joan was present, close to Jay, giving him a darkened look at the small tease but there was no malice in her eyes. Bart, by his side, looking at him with something akin to worry and excitement blended together.

Then, there was that female voice.

That would be a very livid Iris West-Allen, currently chewing M'gann out with his Uncle Barry pulling her back, unsuccessfully. M'gann locked eyes with him and he saw such a deep relief in her eyes as she realized her emotional outburst had not hurt him. Wally took a moment to get his breath then said, "Aunt Iris, I'm fine."

The red haired woman and blond haired man instantly turned from the Martian girl. Even as they both ran over to investigate whether this was a true statement or not, Wally gave his cousin a deep seated angry look. In response, the younger boy shrugged and defended. "I didn't break any promise, Couz. I never told Grandpa Jay or Gramps. I just told Grandma and Great Grandma."

Wally just hissed at him through clenched teeth although he had to admit, he was an idiot for not counting on his cousin finding loopholes. The entire Flash family was famous for that. He should have expected the grandson of Barry Allen to be the same. Sloppy work. It was something he was starting to see from himself more and more and that infuriated him. First with battle, then with school, then with his research and now, here! A place and position where mistakes were too dangerous to have! It was bad enough he couldn't be down there, next to his friends, protecting them. Now, he was making failures on the side lines!

His uncle turned the young man by the shoulder, gazing deep into his eyes with that look that always made Wally crumble. It was a look that Barry had started when Wally had become Kid Flash. It was not an angry look, contrary to popular belief but rather a pleading one. The type of glance that said: I want to help you and you aren't letting me. Unbeknownst to him, Wally bit his lower lip, a sign Barry had learned to look for a long time ago which meant his suspicions were spot on.

"Wally, you're not the type to leave us out of the loop. And I don't think Miss M here is one to get so emotionally charged either. What's going on?" He smiled faintly at his nephew. The boy had grown so distant lately and it troubled Barry deeply. He hated the fact that the Invasion meant he did not have as much time to investigate it. Normally, he would have been right at Wally's side, pressing into the issue, asking questions until the boy gave in and confessed to him. Barry had always been good at reading Wally's heart. Iris was usually right by his side, if not ahead of him, trying to draw answers from their child in everything but blood. She had been talking more about Wally lately then their unborn twins, saying she and Barry needed to do something. Barry whole heartedly agreed with her and when Bart had run into their bedroom, shaking Iris, calling for her to get up, dozens of scenarios had run through Barry's mind.

The scenarios just got worse when Bart told them that Wally had taken off running. Iris had grasped hold of Barry as soon he got his pants on, climbing onto his back, saying "Go, go, go!" So, here they were, yet they had no more answers than before. Well, as far as Barry was concerned, that was ending tonight. He refused to stand by and let his nephew emotionally murder himself. The boy was lucky that the run here had not severely damaged him. He would have felt better about it if he could have looked the boy over but at the moment, other things were taking precedence, something made very obvious by the way Wally was staring at the martian girl.

Surprised, Wally looked at M'gann. She was quiet but grateful to have a very angry Iris out of her face. "I didn't say anything" She said simply. Reassurance flooded Wally's spirit but that same spirir was torn, tired and just plain desperate. If he were to be candid, he almost wanted the rest of his family to figure this out but at the same moment, he was so clenched up in fear of what would happen if they did that he felt sick to his stomach. This wasn;t something minor like telling a white lie or skipping school or something.

And the Flash family had that determined look in their eye.

Bart looked first at M'gann then Wally. "Okay, so what's going on? Wally sucks at lying and he's been doing a lot of it."

Wally jerked his head to his cousin "Yer not exactly one to say, Bart." He snapped. "You barely know me…"

"Maybe but I know how people get when they have a lot on their plate. I mean I know Artemis just…" he made a wish wash motion with his hand, trying to avoid saying the word 'died' and skipped ahead to the rest of his sentence "but even for that, you've been acting weird. Gramps said you've been acting weird too."

Wally diverted his gaze back to his aunt and uncle. He thought he had been hiding things under the guise of bereavement very well but it seemed that was not the case. Iris locked sights and stroked his cheek. "Wally, we're worried about you. You haven't been talking to anyone, you've isolated yourself. That isn't my Wally. That's NEVER been my Wally. I know that you've gotten less…jovial over time but even with that, you haven't been yourself." She took a breath "I know that dealing with a death is-

"Damn it, Aunt Iris, stop it!" Wally spat.

"Wally" Barry cut in, not bothering to scold him on his tone. "Your aunt's right. Even dealing with Artemis' death wouldn't make you act like this. You're acting like some kind of co-dependent druggie who's had his fix taken away and love doesn't make you not you. It might make you go through a flood of emotions but it doesn't change who you are. It enhances it. I know." He cast a glance at his wife, "It isn't like you to take off in the middle of the night to meet up with your teammates without letting me know what's up either." Barry looked oddly hurt. "You used to tell me everything. I mean, I know we've been a little busy and stuff since Bart came in and with Iris' pregnancy, but those things have never meant you became any less important to us." He spoke sincerely. "The Wally who's been around the last few weeks has NOT been my Wally."

Wally could feel his reserves cracking. This was why he was trying to keep his family out of this. He didn't trust his ability to keep any secrets when they become involved. _Shut up_, he pleaded silently. _Please Uncle Barry. If you keep talking, I'm going to give it all away. I can't. I promised Dick I would keep this secret. _

_But it hasn't done you much good has it_, his little inner voice scolded. _You're in deeper shit than ever before. Face it, you're in too deep_

_I can't…I've done nothing but lie to them and they're going to—_

_They already know you're a liar! They just told you that and they haven't tried to crucify you yet._

_They don't know the depths of it. They don't know what we've done. What I've done!_

"Wally." His aunt's soft tone snapped Wally from his thoughts. She took hold his hands and pulled him down to sit on the floor next to her. M'gann had yet to move from her spot and was keeping silent, eyes downcast though she kept as far away from Iris as possible. Wally found himself barricaded in, his cousin and grandparents on one side, his uncle on the other and his aunt right in front of him, her eyes unmoving from his.

"Wally, we want to help you."

"I know." He managed to respond, though he dropped his eyes so he didn't have to look her in the face. "I know but I can't…"

"Why not?" His uncle responded, stroking through the boy's bright red hair. "Why not, Roadrunner?"

Wally buried his face into his hands. Why…why did his uncle have to pull out the nicknames? He was going to break and he knew it. Then what? Then what? The Invasion was still going on and now he was going to…

"Wally, do you remember what I told you right after you became Kid Flash?" Wally blinked and looked up again, if only because it was his aunt asking, not his uncle.

"Wh..what do you mean?"

The red haired woman smiled. "You were a mess because you kept messing up on missions because you were scared. Scared of messing up, scared of making your 'hero' look bad. Scared of disappointing me." She clutched his hand tightly. "Do you remember what I told you?"

He thought a moment then responded, softly "That being a brave fighter doesn't mean you're not scared."

She smiled and nodded, reaching up to push some sweaty hair off his brow "And…"

"And…that continuing to fight, even though you're scared is what makes you brave."

Another nod "And…"

He eyed her "And that it's okay to be scared, it's okay to want help and it's okay to depend on someone else." He stammered out, looking up at his uncle who hugged him tightly. Bart watched this with fascination. Coming from a war torn future, the only person he could ever depend on was himself. Hearing that this kind of strength was blessed on his bloodline was confusing, yet comforting all the same. What a wonderful notion, knowing there was always someone that you cpuld go to. Someone to lean on. Bart loved the idea.

"Wally, we just want you to depend on us again." Iris told him softly. The boy kept his eyes downcast but did manage to give her a reply.

"I would if I could, Aunt Iris but I can't…I can't. There's so much at risk and I-"

"All the more reason to divide the burden." Iris interrupted him. "Wally, you don't have to be, well, Superman." She smiled at him, her eyes sparkling. "We're still-

"You won't forgive me." He finally said, the crux of his fear finally out in the open. "You're all I have left but if I tell you what's going on, I'll lose that too." He swallowed, forcing his emotions down. "I can't.."

Quiet silence. Wally wondered for a moment if they had gotten up and left until two strong hands grasped onto his cheeks and lifted his head, "Wallace, look at me,"

Blinking away the unshed tears, Wally looked into his uncle's deep blue eyes. "I am, Uncle Barry."

"Wally, why did you forgive me after I tried to bash your head in?"

Taken aback, Wally responded "it wasn't you! The Light had taken you over."

"Why did you forgive me" he asked again, not wavering but keeping his tone an even keel. Wally swallowed and responded after a moment,

"Because I knew you didn't mean to."

"Why do you know that?" His uncle prodded again, digging for the answer he wanted.

"Because you love me, Uncle Barry." Wally spat back at him.

"You're right." Barry responded, wiping at the boy's wet eyes with his thumb "I do love you. So does your Aunt. So does your cousin and Jay and Joan."

Barry went quiet a moment then pulled the young man into his arms with such speed and intensity that it made Wally gasp for air a moment. He tensed then relaxed as his uncle's arms tightened into a powerful hold. The man rested his cheek on his head and laid a soft kiss into his bright red hair. "Do you think that has changed at all?"

Wally bit his lower lip, but it still trembled. No, he could not crack and yet the man's words were soothing that mind numbing fear that sat in the pit of his stomach.

"Wally, it's cliché as hell but it's true. You're like a son to me and your aunt. There is nothing…literally….NOTHING that would take that love away, understand me?"

"But you do—

"I don't care what you did!" Barry snapped, tightening his grip. "It doesn't matter what it is. You hear me? It's not taking my love for you away, do you understand me? Uncle Barry's love is NOT conditional."

"Un-uncle Barry." He finally stammered, "I'm…supposed to be able to…take care of …my own messes."

"Wally." The gentle tone and then another kiss to his head, one that made him squeeze his eyes shut to keep his tears in. "Wally, do you think the Justice League has always been victorious? Do you think we haven't made messes?" he asked softly. "We probably have you trumped on the number of mess ups we've done. But besides that, what did Flash tell Kid Flash when he first started? Hmm?"

Taking himself back to that first day, Wally took a shaky breath "Th..that I could always c-call for Flash." Damn it, no, he was NOT going to cry!

Barry pulled away, gently, moving his hands to gently cup the boy's face again. Yes, he knew the young man in front of him was hardly a child anymore but he would always be a child to him. He softened his tone, that gentle, sweet tone that always said he was there. "Well, Flash is listening, Wally."

Wally sat there, gazing into his uncle's bright blue eyes for so long that he thought he might get lost in them. Like he was lost in this mess, like he and Dick and Artemis and Kaldur were in way over their heads. That all their plans had proceeded to blow up in their faces. That all their attempts to fix things had just gotten worse and worse until now, Wally literally didn't know what was going to go down. He was lost, felt surrounded by enemies and danger and all kinds of other things that he didn't know how to deal with.

Finally letting a few tears leak out of his eyes, Wally buried his face into his uncle's chest and sobbed "Flash…save me, please!"


	5. Chapter 4: I Won't Make Promises I Can't

**_Chapter Four: I Won't Make Promises I Can't Keep_**

Raising a finger to her lips, Artemis nodded to Nightwing.

The darkly clad young man darted after her as they dashed across the hallway. The entire ship was in chaos. That was entirely Nightwing's doing, hacking into their system and creating havoc not unlike they used to do just a few short years ago. In this case, he had triggered a series of false alarms designed to indicate system failure and the risk of the ocean rushing in. Not everyone had the gift of Atlantian gills, in fact a great many of the crew did not, including Black Manta. So, there was chaos about preserving the base and preserving their own lives.

On the up side, it meant that there was more room for them to move about. People were not worrying so much about what everyone else was doing; in a sense of panic, they fell back on protecting their own behinds. One thing Artemis had learned about Black Manta's men was that while they were loyal when it called for it, if it came down to themselves or their master's team, they would forever pick themselves. They may have shared a common goal, a common interest and devotion but it did not carry the same strength that she had learned vibrated through her old team.

A team that she missed deeply. Even as she followed the back of Nightwing through the base, somehow finding his way through security patches with nary a thought, she missed the synchronized flow they used to move with. When Kaldur had left to start their undercover mission, they had suffered a kink in their step. When Wally had gotten ill and was not getting any better, she and he had retired and she had seen the team just…well, for lack of a better word, crumble. True, Nightwing, Superboy and Miss Martian had remained but they were half of what they once were. That was when they started to recruit new members more readily. They had always had others in mind but after the issue with Jason…well, they were reluctant. Nightwing especially but when they had fallen from six to five and eventually to three, there was little choice left.

But they did not have the synchronized pattern that their six had possessed. That was a special gift that they had perfected. It was deeply felt and missed. Now, as she fell into step behind Nightwing, it felt like she had slipped back into a worn but familiar pair of shoes that welcomed her back into the fray. Her heart leapt and beat rapidly as the hero life, the REAL hero life, the one that called her Artemis, welcomed her with open arms again. Her eyes narrowed, focused, her hands on hair trigger as their objective grew closer and closer.

This was crazy but she thrived on adrenaline. It was very sad but she seriously felt like a drug addict who had gotten their first fix in years. Her muscles responded and her spirits responded. She felt empowered, truly empowered, for the first time in months. Granted, work and school gave her a sense of usefulness but this gave her a sense of worth! It was one thing playing undercover and working behind the scenes, it was something completely different to be back on her proper side!

"Wait up." Nightwing raised a hand and she stopped in mid step, silent as the night. Well, perhaps not that quiet because her feet scratched the floor a tad. Nightwing gave her a look and she harshly whispered back:

"Sorry, not all of us were raised by the Dark Knight of Gotham!"

He just gave her another shush look and she went quiet, recognizing that the sick bay was nearly in their sights and also that Black Manta was very much present. That was an issue. Truthfully, this part was hardest for Artemis. She had never thought Black Manta could be a good father; she had hardly been exposed to "good" father figures but even though Black Manta fought on the wrong side, you would have to be blind to not see the genuine love he had for Kaldur. He had expressed it in the form of anger towards his underlings and demands of Psimon but all in all, it was…sweet.

She wondered briefly if Kaldur felt bad about all this deception. She knew that Wally hated the deception going on; it had to be a thousand times worse for—

Focus! She scolded herself. Dropping to the ground, she headed into sick bay, Nightwing sticking to the ceiling like some type of fly. She would have to ask him sometime how he did that without any gadgets. It was all in the way he moved and contorted his body; most of those twists, she was sure were illegal in most states.

Heading after the dark leader, she was stopped at the doorway by a blade to her throat. Black Manta's mask was down and his eyes charged with anger. "Not another step, Traitor."

She responded simply, keeping the cool composure of her character "What would I have to benefit from taking out my own partner-?"

"An inside opportunity." He snarled. Pressing deeper into her throat, he snarled "You were there when that damned Martian did this to my son. You've been creeping around like a damned virus ever since. You conveniently disappear when the systems start to fail…I am no fool. Very few TRY to betray me-"

Artemis mentally winced; if he only knew…

"You won't live to regret it."

Nightwing sprung.

_Hall of Justice, Washington, D.C._

The hall was full of all kinds of yelling, screaming, demands for answers.

Wally had not budged from his spot on the ground. Iris had sat next to him and held him tightly, cradling his head close to her, stroking his hair occasionally, saying, "Shh, you did the best you could."

The other team mates obviously did not agree. The remaining Justice League members, or at least Canary and Green Arrow had arrived. With the truth out in the open, it was only right that they were informed. After all, no point in prolonging the obvious anger about the deception. Wally didn't blame them at all. After all, Oliver was pretty much Artemis' uncle and Dinah well, she was an aunt of sorts. He didn't want to see that hurt reflected in their eyes so he kept his head down as he recited the truth, over one last time, giving as many details as he could manage so they could see…so they could understand…

Oliver's raging hadn't turned physical so he supposed that was a good thing.

Conner was angry, livid. He got right in Wally's face, screaming and howling about trust and depending on each other and truth and all that stuff that Wally already knew. Still, the red haired boy just sat there and let him vent. He never met his eyes and Conner only backed off when his Aunt Iris took her place beside him and set a look on Conner that would have made Batman back down. She had that dark look in her bright eyes that all members of the West Family had learned to fear. Conner had only seen her a few times, in the gatherings that Wally had invited Conner to before Superman got his act together, so he knew to respect it.

While the yelling from Conner had reduced, it had turned to demands of what others things he was keeping from them and how they could trust him at all and all those horrible, horrible things he had known would come when the truth came out. His cousin stayed close to his side and actually had looked pretty impressed by the story: the plan they had started not three months after the victory at the watch tower, the circumstances that were compromised by Tula's death, the way that Jason's death had been found to be tied to the Light's partners and how finally, they had no choice but to push themselves into deep undercover. He had not spoken very loud but Bart had uttered a "Crash…"

Wally had left out the details of his illness, he had no desire to share it though he supposed it may have gotten some of them off his back, but he had no will to see pity directed is way. He would not rely on that and he did not want to be considered useless. Staying out the battle had been hard enough. He didn't need to hear it repated and in any event, this was not the time for it. He was not stupid enough to think this would have bvlown over without conflict but really, what was done was done.

He doubted his explanation nwas enough. He had said was that his speed wasn't "sufficient" so he went to the background and had been studying the nemy as well as potential targets and the like. He knew it would not be considered nearly good enough with what they had decided to put Kaldur and Artemis through. But..he was making due with the best he had...

"You had the damned nerve to sit on the sidelines and watch us mourn? To stand right next to her mother and not tell her?!" Oliver accused, his eyes dangerously narrowing on Wally. "To put everyone into danger because of a half assed scheme like that? You took a vow a long time ago, Wallace! A vow to protect!" He growled "A vow is not something to throw away!"

"I know." Wally whispered, though it was more to his hands than to anything else. That accusation struck hard. He had not forgotten his vow. He had made a serious one when he had taken on the role as Kid Flash and taken another role when they had formed the team. It was something he carried deep in his heart. "I meant it."

"Bullshit" Conner spat. "Have you seen what these lies have done? What they've made of this team? You really think this plan is getting us any closer to defeating the Light? All you've done is weakened our already weakened force!"

"You pressed on with it, even with everything going wrong?" Oliver accused, taking a step closer to Wally. Dinah eyed him, obviously livid herself but she kept herself quiet…which was even more unnerving. "You all made such a fuss to us about trust and truth and then you pull this? You dare—"

"ENOUGH!"

The thundering voice that tore through the room made everyone fall silent, simply because of whose throat it tore from.

Wally took a shaky breath "Uncle Barry?" His uncle never yelled. Well, maybe not ever but it was certainly very rare and he had never known him to yell in uniform. He usually took the quiet-I'm-so-disappointed-in-you approach. To hear him bellow like that, so deep and at the top of his lungs was enough to make anyone jump, his aunt and cousin included. Bart darted so he stood a little bit behind Wally and Iris just fixed her husband with a surprised but yet, not surprised look. It was no secret that Flash was protective of his family.

The Scarlet Speedster took his stance in front of his wife and nephew and physically pushed Oliver back, his teeth ground tightly together, his eyes shimmering. "Not another word out of you, Oliver. Not a damned word." He hissed through his clenched teeth. His hands were blurring a bit and Oliver rubbed the hot section of his skin where Flash had pushed him forcefully. Now, Flash had taken a very distinct pose, his muscles tensed, standing in front of his nephew, grandson and wife like a mother bear defending her cubs.

It was intimidating.

Dinah finally broke her silence. She was angry but she liked to think she would keep her cool better than Oliver could. However, having trained the team, she was well accustomed to the Flash's protective nature. In some cases, it was humorous and acceptable but not here. "This isn't something you can just brush under the rug, Barry! He and his team mates lied to team, lied to you, lied to the Justice League—"

"Scenario Doom." The red clad warrior snapped his eyes to hers and spat the two words as if they tasted bad.

Dinah went quiet. Oliver took another step backward. The entire room was dead silent for a long time, almost five minutes. Not even the curious younger members dared break the silence. Finally, with the clearing of his throat, Oliver attempted to continue the conversation."That was…"

"Different but the same." Barry snarled as he stood in front of his nephew, reaching a hand back and stroking the boy's red hair with a gentleness that was offset by the acidic voice spitting at Oliver, "So drop your verbal abuse of my nephew before I start an abuse of my own on you. Care to see how fast my fists can throw punches?"

Wally stared. He had never known his uncle to make that kind of threat…ever. Let alone at another Justice League Member. Barry was practically vibrating.

Luckily, before that tension rose any higher, Miss Martian inquired, quietly, "What is Scenario Doom?" It was obvious that this was the question on everyone's minds but only M'gann dared voice it. The tensions and anger seemed to have expanded ten fold. She was floating, a bit, nervously but she stuck close to Conner. The cloned young man was frowning but even he knew the gravity of the situation so rather than demand answers as he may have done years ago, he kept quiet, waiting.

Oliver frowned but addressed the green skinned woman, "It was…a hard mission of the Justice League about two years before your group formed…"

Dinah sighed, brushing her blond hair from her face "It was a time of tension for us, especially since we were all still fairly new at working together…."

Conner folded his arms, dissatisified, "You're avoiding the question."

"It's done and over with—"

"Scenario Doom was a circumstance where it was discovered that Batman had detailed plans on how to take out each and every member of the Justice League on the off chance that they went rogue. His plans were obtained by several enemies and altered to cause death. They were then utilized on each member of the League until Batman managed to get in contact and counteract each of his plans. Batman voluntarily left the Justice League for a time, stating that the League needed to learn that they were not above needing a failsafe plan. As of right now, he still has plans under lock and key."

Wally stared, his eyes fixated on Iris. It was Iris who had answered.

"Aunt Iris…" he breathed, stunned.

"Your Uncle told me himself." She told the young man, stroking his red hair affectionately. "Along with the fact that he voted for Batman to stay."

Conner and M'gann stared, quiet, until M'gann asked, "You…asked him to stay?"

"His plan was done in secret because it needed to be done in secret." Flash responded firmly, crossing his arms across his chest. "It was kept secret because it needed to be kept secret. I was angry that he used deception, that he didn't trust us in my eyes. But, the more I thought about it, Batman had seen his share of villains who used mind control, hypnosis, all that fun stuff. He also knew that we're human…more or less. We have our breaking point. We all do. We do the best we can with the circumstances we have. It would be nice if there was a miracle pill that would prevent us from being taken over but the Light has showed us…that obviously isn't true."

He set his eyes on his nephew and gave him a small smile. Turning from his two teammates, he knelt, his voice shifting instantly from livid to soft and comforting. "I don't blame you Wally, or Nightwing. Far as I'm concerned, you had a good plan that hit all kinds of hiccups and you were dealing with it the best way you could." He turned and locked eyes with Oliver and Dinah, hissing, "And you've done a hell of a lot of good. You did the best you could and that's all ANY of us can ever do." He stroked the boy's red hair back, saying, "I just wish you had come to me sooner when you realized you were in over your head." Again, he diverted his eyes to look right at Dinah and Oliver: "After all, that's what you're _supposed_ to be able to do. Come to me."

Iris gave her nephew another tight squeeze and Bart grinned, wrapping his arms around his cousin's neck "Face it, couz. You've got a permanent support group."

Quiet. Wally finally allowed himself a small smile and gently pushed his cousin off as M'gann spoke out, "So…where do we move from here?"

Conner eyed her, "Why did Wally show up here?"

"Nightwing is gone. He was asking about the missions and…"

Gradually, the conversation turned to the subject at hand although Dinah and Oliver still cast dark glares any time they thought Barry was not looking. Wally kept his stance, not meeting their eyes. Finally, his uncle's voice cut through the guilt ridden stupor he had fallen into.

"Wally."

Lifting his head, Wally rubbed his eyes. He couldn't just sit here. He had come here to find out what Nightwing was up to, what the current status of Kaldur and Artemis was. As much as he would love to just collapse in a mess, he couldn't afford to and his friends could not afford for him to. He looked up and his uncle offered him a hand. Wally eyed the outstretched hand a moment, asking "Yes, Uncle Barry?"

"Tell us what's happened in the last few days on your end. We'll compare notes and figure out how to pull ourselves out of this mess…and the world too while we're at it. You and Nightwing had a good plan, I'm sure you have an idea what he's up to." He smiled "So you have the knowledge…you lead us on this."

Wally stared at his uncle, shock present on all his features. "Me? After all this…?"

Barry grasped his nephew tightly by the wrist, pulled him up, looked him right in the eyes and with a gentle grin, "I _trust_ you, Roadrunner."

_Black Manta's Base_

Artemis groaned, adjusting Kaldur's weight on her back. It was so easy to forget that a dead weight was very different than a crippled teammate. Even an injured teammate could help remove some of the burden but Kaldur was in a coma, out cold, and completely vulnerable. She had to support the bulk of his mass. She was managing but she was hardly fast. She could hear Nightwing and Black Manta not far behind her. She didn't have al ot of time and she knew it but even adrenaline could only move someone so far.

Finally, after what seemed like forever, the submarine docks came into sight. Turning, she spied Nightwing striking a panel, slamming the automatic doors shut. He tossed another pellet at it and they melted with a mess of smoke and fire. She heard Black Manta curse but then already the metal began to grow hot. It wouldn't take long for those weapons to break through. Nightwing didn't say anything, just rushed Artemis and swept both her and Kaldur up in one swoop. He didn't run far though, throwing them roughly on the top of one of the submarines. He didn't apologize, turning to face the door, even as Black Manta's screamed orders through the base. Running feet could be heard approaching and approaching quickly.

Cursing under her breath, Artemis got to her feet and without saying much, she twisted the top open. It was a small sub but it would serve their purpose well enough. She turned and gruffly hauled Kaldur over to the entrance. She would have liked to say she lowered him in gently but it was more just a matter of getting him in at all. It was rough, bruised him up some and she whispered 'sorry' more than three times. She climbed down after him, calling to Nightwing. He leapt down after her, ran to the control panel and started to punch in coordinates.

"How much time?" she inquired.

"Not enough" he responded quickly. Looking upward through the view screen towards  
the doors, which were already beginning to be dented outward, he eyed Artemis. "You need more time.."

"We-"

Before she could finish, Nightwing's hand grasped her hard under the neck, squeezed and twisted. She managed a faint cry before she went limp. Wincing, the son of Bruce Wayne muttered an apology before hitting the ignition and autopilot on the sub. Instantly, it began to sink. It was risky but he figured that even Black Manta's subs needed time to submerge and it gave him just enough padding room. Turning, he leapt from the vehicle, with the type of agility only a Flying Grayson possessed, before twisting the top closed and jumping onto the dock. The number of people entering the bay in just seconds would have swamped the submarine.

Unless they had something else to focus on.

As the doors were blown apart, Nightwing ducked the flying debris, took out his nightsticks, giving them a twirl. "I don't make false promises."

Setting his sights on Black Manta, the man charged.


End file.
